The truth is, that very, very few people have made money in this field.
And another part of this thruth is, that when you pay your crews a decent wage and let them have a tad of R&R every now and then, you canīt compete with most of the outfits that use freelancing lawyers and the like that do our job as a hobby for a hobby remuneration.
Is was DO of an AOC company next door to such an outfit, you canīt compete in the long run with guys who pay 150/day for freelancing crews that also pay for all their check rides, trainings and ratings themselves.
Especially not when "modern" brokers are involved.
Price is everything these days, with just a few exceptions.